With reference to FIG. 1, a vehicle 2 (as generally known in the prior art) comprises an engine assembly 10, provided within an engine compartment 4 of the vehicle, and a bulkhead structure 6 such as a dash panel. The bulkhead structure 6 may separate the engine compartment 4 from an interior 8 of the vehicle 2.
The engine assembly 10 comprises an engine 12 and a transmission (not shown). The engine assembly 10 is coupled to and supported by an engine support (not shown). Furthermore, a subframe 16 forms a structural member of the vehicle configured to support a suspension component (not shown) of the vehicle.
The vehicle 2 further comprises a crash structure 9, provided at an end of the vehicle, e.g. at the front of the vehicle, and configured to crumple during a collision of the vehicle in order to absorb and dissipate kinetic energy of the vehicle and decelerate the vehicle.
With reference to FIG. 2, when the previously proposed vehicle is involved in a collision, e.g. a frontal collision, after the crash structure 9 has crumpled, a force applied to the vehicle during the collision may act on the engine 12. The engine support may buckle or crumple during the collision as the vehicle decelerates. As the engine support buckles or crumples, the engine 12 may be displaced rearwards, towards the bulkhead structure 6.
As depicted in FIG. 2, when the engine 12 is displaced rearwards it may ride over the subframe 16. In some collisions, the engine 12 may be displaced such that it impacts the bulkhead structure 6. In this case the bulkhead structure 6 may be deformed such that the engine 12 penetrates into the interior 8 of the vehicle.
FIG. 3 shows the position of the engine 12 of the vehicle before and after the collision. In FIG. 3, the position of the engine before the collision is shown as a solid line and the position after the collision is shown as a dashed line. As depicted, during the collision, the force acting on the engine 12 may rotate the engine, e.g. about a lateral axis of the motor vehicle. Rotation of the engine may increase the extent of penetration of the engine 12 into the interior 8.